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subverting

verb

present participle of subvert
as in corrupting
to lower in character, dignity, or quality by insisting that she pay me for helping her, she subverted my noble desire to do a good deed without reward

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of subverting Stalter made a statement with her look at the 2025 Emmys, too, subverting the event’s formal dress code. — Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 15 Sep. 2026 Ouweleen, who took over the top job following the retirement of longtime leader Mike Lazzo in 2022, stressed that the network retains its commitment to subverting expectations even as formats change. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2026 By subverting Musk’s favorite tropes of video gaming and simulations, the film conveys the dangers of becoming like the Game Master in Ready Player One. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 The film’s procedural aspect ticks along just fine, holding the attention without subverting expectations, and carried by actors who, much like the detectives in this case, are ultra-capable professionals with no inclination to go rogue on us. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026 The show also pokes fun at the late 1990s and early 2000s liberal cultural consensus that was upheld in other popular culture of the time while also both replicating and subverting stereotypes of suburban Southern white Americans. — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Aug. 2026 The state alleges OpenAI's rapid success stems from deceit and exploitation, causing widespread harm to Floridians and subverting public order. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026 No artist has had more fun subverting the conventions of the track ID than Kieran Hebden, better known as Four Tet. — Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 18 July 2026 There must be accountability for Supreme Court justices that have taken part in subverting American democracy. — Oliver Adams Larkin, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for subverting
  1. corrupting
  2. degrading
  3. weakening
  4. perverting
  5. destroying
  6. diluting
  7. deteriorating
  8. debauching
Verb
  • And by engaging with these powerful militaries, the group reinforced its self-image as a major regional player that was uniquely capable of liberating the Muslim world from corrupting American and Israeli influence.
    — April Longley Alley, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Gadgets with screens of any size have long been allegedly melting, rotting, and/or corrupting the brains of youths for decades.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of corrupting
Verb
  • In 1963, Gloria Steinem went undercover for a journalism assignment as a Playboy bunny, exposing degrading working conditions that forced policy changes.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • While some look at this aesthetic as idealizing a time where women had fewer rights and independence, many trad wives do not think their roles are degrading.
    — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of degrading
Verb
  • That slows price increases by generally weakening economic growth.
    — Matt Peterson, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The immediate priorities are to understand which existing revenue is most secure, where client demand may be weakening and which relationships could lead to additional or recurring work.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of weakening
Verb
  • The trial collapsed after the journalist was found to have tampered with evidence (he was later convicted of perverting the course of justice).
    — K.J. Yossman, Variety, 23 June 2026
  • He was also found guilty of perverting the court of justice.
    — StyleCaster Editors, StyleCaster, 27 Mar. 2026
Definition of perverting
Verb
  • Sonil Jain, Co-founder of Sowtex and ReMaterial, noted that for a fabric exporter trading with Russia, Brazil, or the UAE, there were many possible benefits, including cheaper, faster B2B settlements without dollar-clearing fees destroying margins.
    — Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Some put the chance of AI destroying everyone, everywhere, all at once at around 50%.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of destroying
Verb
  • Ryan plays Carla Russo, a veteran nurse at Yale Fertility Center who pleads guilty to diverting vast amounts of fentanyl and diluting it with saline, forcing many patients to endure egg-retrieval surgery without anesthesia.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Too much success at entry prices comes with a risk of overexposure, diluting brand equity and perhaps training the consumer to hold off for even more price cuts, the report warns.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of diluting
Verb
  • The latest contingent is arriving as Haiti confronts a deteriorating security and humanitarian environment and struggles to organize its first general elections in more than a decade.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The company’s financial position had been deteriorating for several years.
    — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of deteriorating
Verb
  • The 2026 State of the Union speech stands in contrast, a speech by a mendacious demagogue who has degraded his listeners by debauching their instincts.
    — Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 26 Feb. 2026
Definition of debauching

Browse Nearby Words

subverters
subverting
subverts
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Cite this Entry

“Subverting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/subverting. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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